Blindness makes the heart grow fonder
by SplendentGoddess
Summary: They say that when you lose one of your senses, the others all get stronger, as a means of compensating. When Inuyasha temporarily loses his eye sight, will the size of his heart be one of the things that increase?


Blanket Disclaimer:

Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi, or VIZ Productions.

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~ Blindness makes the heart grow fonder ~

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"Kagome! _Look Out!"_ Inuyasha bellowed as he launched himself in her direction.

"Inuyasha!" the miko screamed in return, terrified to see the owl-youkai's talons closing in on her.

He managed to crash into the miko just in time for the owl-youkai's attack to hit him instead. Caught off guard as he was, Inuyasha ended up falling on top of Kagome, surprised to find himself blasted square in the face with an irritating cloud of youki instead of being pummeled with the razor-sharp talons that had appeared to be closing in for the kill.

Seeing Kagome down for the count, and Inuyasha crouching to her side shaking his head as though he were temporarily disoriented, Sango quickly took matters into her own hands, flinging her Hiraikotsu at the monstrous bird and successfully decapitating it. In its final moments the youkai also expelled a blast of its powder-like youki in her direction, but the taijiya recognized the attack for what it was and immediately covered her eyes with her hands.

"Sango?" she heard Miroku voice in concern from somewhere off to her right.

Seeing the slayer stumble away from where she had previously been standing, Miroku quickly grew even more concerned, although he hesitated to run to her side in that moment because he was currently checking on Kagome's condition. The miko appeared to be unconscious.

"Sango?" he asked again, while staying at Kagome's side, "Are you okay?"

"I am…." she finally responded, carefully moving her hands away from her eyes, and then using them to brush her face free from any residual powder, while still keeping her eyes closed. "Owl-youkai use blinding youki-based powders to disable their prey. The effects are temporary, except usually the owl has successfully _eaten_ you before it would have the chance to wear off."

"I see," the monk replied in understanding, stating "That was quick thinking on your part, then."

It was the sudden, fairly annoyed sounding "Feh" that got their attention in that moment.

"Inuyasha?" Sango asked, having finally dared to open to her eyes only to see Inuyasha sitting not too far from where he and Kagome had landed; somehow, he seemed different. "Inuyasha are _you_ okay? Did you get that powder in your eyes?"

"Feh, like some stupid _bird_ could hurt me!" he spat out in defense.

"It's okay, you know, it's only tempor-"

"There ain't nothing wrong with me!" he barked out, not letting the slayer finish her words.

"Well then…" Miroku began in that moment, "We should get Kagome back to the village."

It was then that Sango looked down at her friend to realize that she was out cold. Seeing the concern in her eyes, Miroku quickly assured the taijiya… "I believe she is fine. She merely bumped her head, and appears to only be sleeping." Knowing head wounds should never be taken lightly, however, no matter how insignificant they appeared, the houshi then added… "However, it would still be wise to return to Kaede's without delay."

"I agree." Sango answered.

"Okay then…" Inuyasha muttered suddenly, fumbling to stand up while trying his best to appear normal.

He could tell precisely where Kagome was lying by her scent, and bending down, he was able to find her and pick her up without much effort. Still, his marginal fumbling was enough to alert Sango and Miroku to the fact that he wasn't quite as uninjured as he'd claimed to be.

"Inuyasha?" Miroku asked hesitantly in that moment, unsure of how to continue. The hanyou's blindness was clear, even if he apparently refused to acknowledge it.

But before the houshi had a chance to protest Inuyasha's presumed intention of carrying Kagome back to the village while blind, his concerns were interrupted by the inu-hanyou calling for Kirara.

"Kirara, come here." Inuyasha muttered with an unmistakable twinge of self-reproach lacing his voice.

Instantly complying, Kirara transformed into her larger self before making her way over towards the hanyou, standing close enough in front of him that he could smell her precise location. Inuyasha then carefully and gently went about placing Kagome upon Kirara's back.

Turning his face towards the direction of Sango's scent, he quietly asked, "Will you go with her?"

"Of course." the slayer answered gently, knowingly. Without another word, she hopped herself onto Kirara's back behind Kagome, in order to support her, and together they took flight back towards Kaede's village.

Looking back over at his friend, Miroku couldn't help but to find a significant lack of humor in the entire situation. The usually teasing and taunting monk felt genuine sympathy for his hanyou friend, only barely able to contemplate just how _horrible_ it must be for an inu-youkai to lose its sight. The only thing worse would be losing his sense of smell.

_Thank the kami Inuyasha still has his sense of smell_, the houshi thought in relief, knowing that for a canine, any canine, scent was the most important of the senses.

Again finding himself temporarily lost in thought, it once again took Inuyasha's voice to bring him back into the here and now, when he heard Inuyasha call back "You coming, monk?" It was then that he realized Inuyasha had already begun heading back in the direction of the village, apparently having no trouble finding his direction by scent alone.

Trotting up right beside him, Miroku turned his head slowly, trying to decipher anything different in the appearance of Inuyasha's eyes. They seemed to be discolored by the youkai's powder, appearing darker and slightly more orange than usual.

"Inuyasha…." he began hesitantly, though he never got the chance to finish.

Without stopping, Inuyasha ground out an irritated, "Look, I'm _fine_, got that?"

Miroku only nodded, even as he realized how silly that action was at the moment.

...

Kagome came to a couple of hours later to find herself lying down comfortably in the back corner of Kaede's hut.

_What happened?_ she wondered vaguely, moving to sit up only to discover that the act gave her a slight headache.

Looking around the one-room hut, she quickly noticed Sango and Miroku both sitting silently around the fire pit. Kaede wasn't there at the moment, but since it was still daylight, Kagome simply figured the elder miko was likely out in the village somewhere performing her miko duties.

"Um…guys?" the fifteen-year-old asked quietly, instantly gaining the startled attention of her two friends.

"Oh Kagome, you're awake!" a third friend suddenly bellowed, appearing out of nowhere. She hadn't originally noticed Shippou in the room, but now, she not only noticed him, she was attempting to pry him off her chest.

"I'm fine Shippou," Kagome reassured the kit with a warm smile, adding "But I won't be if you don't let me breathe!" in a half-joking manner.

Shippou immediately separated himself from the miko with a mumbled "sorry" under his breath, although seeing the girl's playful smile instantly made his own smile return. Sango and Miroku also had bright smiles as they realized that Kagome _had_ been spared from the owl-youkai's debilitating powder, not having known whether or not she had also been blinded until that moment.

"I'm so glad you're all right." Sango said sincerely.

"I'm fine," Kagome assured, "But…where is Inuyasha?" she asked as she darted her eyes around the room again, concern evident in her voice and expression. As solitary as he usually was, it was unlike him to leave her side while she was injured.

"He's…he's outside." Sango finally answered, her hesitation to elaborate clear.

"Is he okay?"

The concern in Kagome's voice was quickly escalating into full-blown worry.

"I remember him shoving me out of the way of an attack, and then I woke up here. Was he hurt?"

She unconsciously held her breath while awaiting the answer.

"Only his pride." Miroku stated in that moment, his voice stoic and void of amusement. He had not once thought to tease the hanyou with regard to his current predicament, which Sango had silently commended him for. Shippou found the news slightly more humorous.

"What happened?" Kagome asked quietly.

"He's blind!" the kitsune child suddenly spouted.

"What!" Kagome shrieked, bolting to her feet despite her pounding head. "Oh kami, Inu-" She was cut off by Sango's gentle hand placed upon her shoulder.

"It's only temporary." the slayer quickly assured her friend. "He got some of the owl-youkai's powder in his eyes, but the effects will fade in a few more hours."

"A few more _hours?"_

Kagome cringed, understanding, as they did, how horrible it had to be for him. Kagome instantly found herself wishing that he hadn't reached her in time after all, allowing herself to take the brunt of the attack instead. She'd be able to cope with it better, she was sure. Or at least… after they had told her it was temporary, then she'd be able to cope with it. She was quite sure she would freak out if she ever became _permanently_ blind, but temporarily... _that_ she could have dealt with.

Taking a few shaky steps toward the doorway, Kagome was intent on tracking her hanyou companion down and seeing if there was anything she could possibly do for him until his sight returned. Sango's gentle touch attempting to encourage her to sit back down was brushed off, and cringing when she realized she was wearing the white and red robes of a miko, Kagome found a morbid sense of comfort in that moment from the knowledge that he at least wouldn't be able to see her dressed in the outfit. It took Kagome a moment to realize why Kaede had even bothered changing her clothing, but the answer had to be because her school uniform had needed to be washed on the off chance that any residual powder still remained.

"Where is he?" she asked again, the compassion in her voice paired with her determination. If they didn't tell her, she'd go out looking for him anyway.

"I'm pretty sure after he bathed…" Miroku began reluctantly, "…that he's remained in the Goshinboku." he finished.

_Of course,_ Kagome thought with a smile, as she headed her way out of the hut and over towards the sacred tree.

...

He _hated_ this. It was _torture_. It was _worse_ than torture! How was he supposed to _function?_

Of course, he acted as if everything was perfectly fine, but the fact that they knew - _they_ _knew_ - made it that much worse! At least, thank the kami, the effects were apparently temporary, and also, none of his other senses had been affected. Inuyasha had his woods memorized like the back of his hand. He knew every tree, every rock…he wouldn't be caught dead stumbling or tripping over _anything_. But, just to be on the safe side, after washing off in the stream to rid himself of any remaining powder, he'd decided it'd be best if he just stayed up in the Goshinboku until the effects wore off.

When that unmistakable scent hit his nose, he cringed. He was glad she was okay of course, but still... Why her? Why did it have to be _her?_ Why did she have to be right here, right now?

"Inuyasha?" The sound of his name on her lips made him cringe even more.

"So…told you, did they?"

He did his best to keep his voice stoic, void of emotion.

"I just-"

"I don't need your pity." he interrupted, still sounding rather calm under the circumstances. Well, really, rather calm for _him_, period.

"That's not why I'm here." Kagome said gently, all the while hearing the hurt in his voice as he tried, and botched, trying to sound enlightened.

He said nothing but "Keh" in reply so she continued, stating… "I just wanted to thank you." She paused, but when she saw his ears perk up, she smiled, and continued with… "Ya know, for saving me."

He Keh'd again, but she also saw the tiniest of grins quirk up the edges of his own lips.

"If…" Kagome continued cautiously in that moment, "If you wanted someone to vent to..."

"Ain't no sense in bitching about it, it'll go away." Inuyasha responded bluntly.

"Even so," she argued, "It'll still help to talk about it."

"Keh"

"Well, if you change your mind…" she trailed off, slowly heading back to Kaede's hut. Kagome knew she had no hope of pushing him into talking about it if he didn't _want _to.

It wasn't until he suddenly found her scent getting less and less intense, and he realized that she actually _was_ walking away, that Inuyasha silently admitted to himself just how much he wanted her with him at that moment. Leaping out of the tree, he landed a little less gracefully than he normally would have, making an "ooof" sound as he hit the ground improperly prepared. The sound was enough to get Kagome's attention, and she stopped in her tracks before he even had the chance to call out "Kagome, wait!"

Smiling gently, the miko headed back over in his direction. She didn't say anything at first because she knew he could hear, as well as smell, her approach. Inuyasha wordlessly plopped himself down at the base of the Goshinboku, knowing that Kagome would soon follow suit, and when she sat down next to him, he breathed deeply, taking in her scent. Her scent seemed slightly off, though, and he quickly realized that she must have been wearing miko clothing, the fabrics lacking in the lingering scents of detergents always found in her uniform. Softly, he broke the silence.

"You're not wearing your usual clothes." he said, it wasn't a question.

"They had to be washed." she answered, silently amazed at just _how_ strong his sense of smell apparently was. She too could see the darkened haze over his eyes, and knew that his sight had not yet returned.

As she studied him, she saw his slight nod in understanding regarding her wardrobe. Kagome knew that he didn't really like her in miko robes, but at the moment it couldn't be helped. Gazing at him still, it was eerie the way he didn't look back at her. Instead, he was staring blankly into space, his eyes unfocused. Slowly, gently, she reached out and took his hand in hers. He jumped slightly at the unexpected contact, but then immediately relaxed and curled his fingers between hers, interlocking their hands together upon his leg. She didn't know what to say, so she said nothing, as they sat together in silence for what seemed like forever. Inuyasha could hear by the way her even breathing would suddenly break, then pick up again, that she must have tried on at least three occasions to say…_something_…but then chickened out.

Suddenly releasing a resigned sigh, Inuyasha quietly mumbled to the girl sitting beside him, "You can talk, ya know. I promise I won't get mad, or anything."

"I just know that this must be really difficult for you." Kagome stated quietly. "I…I'm sorry." she added barely above a whisper, but there wasn't _anything_ wrong with his hearing.

"Kagome…" he sighed compassionately, "You don't have anything to be sorry for." Taking in another deep breath, secretly relishing in her scent, Inuyasha reminded the girl, "I swore I'd always protect you."

At that point, Kagome sighed as well, and gently letting her head fall to the side, she rested upon Inuyasha's shoulder. The hanyou in turn allowed his own head to tilt slightly, resting his cheek against the top of Kagome's head. Her scent was even stronger in that position, and he found it so soothing, that he unconsciously began to release growls of contentment from deep within his chest. The sound made Kagome smile, as she, too, again sighed contently.

It wasn't until her breathing evened out, and he believed her to be asleep, that he softly whispered, "I wish I could see you."

Kagome had been on the verge of drifting off, but his words instantly brought her back. There was such a tenderness, such a loneliness in his voice, that Kagome almost shed a tear, but she quickly held it back as she slowly raised her head up off of his shoulder.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked quietly, gulping nervously as she took her hand that still held his, and raised it up to her face, joining it with her other hand. She then uncurled his fingers from her grasp, and gently placed them upon her face.

Inuyasha understood her silent gesture, and moved beyond words, he slowly, carefully, began tracing the edges of her face, feeling with just the tips of his fingers, mindful of his claws, the curves of her cheek bones, the shape of her nose, the softness of her lips…

Inuyasha's forefinger lingered on her lips a little longer that it probably should have, as he traced their gentle curves from side to side. Lost in the moment, Kagome slowly puckered her mouth, just the tiniest bit, and quickly kissed his finger.

As soon as she did it she cringed, thinking _Why did I do that?_ as she berated herself for her foolishness. _He doesn't feel that way about you Kagome,_ she told herself. But suddenly, Kagome found herself wondering if she was wrong in that regard, when she saw the current look on his face.

When Inuyasha had registered the sensation of her soft, moist lips actually kissing his callused fingertip, it sent shivers down his spine.

_Did she just do what I __think__ she just did?_ he asked himself hesitantly, before immediately answering himself with an undeniable _Yes, yes she did_.

He felt himself freeze in place, but the sudden spike of shame in Kagome's scent pushed him into action. He _never _wanted her to feel ashamed of herself, _especially_ over her feelings for _him_. Reaching up with his other hand, he suddenly cupped Kagome's face, gently guiding her forward as he steadily leaned himself forward at the same time. Slowly, carefully, so as not to accidentally embarrass them both by bashing their faces together, Inuyasha waited until the feel of her hot breath on his skin provided the final guide to his final destination.

Kagome was taken aback when he reached up and cupped her face. _He's not going to_… she thought, but then quickly wondered _Is he?_ then suddenly realizing _He is!_ as she witnessed the whole maneuver in its slow-motion glory, as she slowly, gently, began to feel the contact of his lips upon her own.

Though all he saw was darkness, Inuyasha still closed his eyes, and Kagome did the same, discovering she didn't need to _see_ to see what was in his heart. The kiss was chaste, and not fueled by the same desperation that had been present during their first kiss, back in Kaguya's castle. They'd never spoken of it since, and Kagome had honestly thought that he'd more or less wanted to forget the incident, at least until that moment.

When the kiss finally ended and she reopened her eyes, Kagome half expected his gaze to have returned to normal when he opened his own eyes, but instead his usual golden orbs were still dark and discolored. She smiled at him nonetheless, convinced that he could somehow feel it in her aura, and then suddenly, he spoke.

"Kagome..." was all he said, before shifting and lowering himself slightly so that that time it was he who was resting his head upon _her_ shoulder. _You're so beautiful_… he added in his mind, and somehow able to sense his thoughts, the miko smiled to herself as she resumed holding Inuyasha's hand while letting him continue to lean against her.

Seeing the furry triangles placed within reach, Kagome couldn't resist, and took it as the invitation it was as she reached over with her opposite hand and began massaging his right ear. Inuyasha again began to release that soothing growl from within his chest, as the neglected ear flicked itself unconsciously from time to time. Kagome dutifully began to roam between the two appendages, careful not to neglect either for very long, before she suddenly got a better idea, and still without words, guided Inuyasha's head down further, to rest upon her lap. He understood and complied, stretching his body out to lie down, sitting his head upon her lap, and she remained seated with her back against the tree for support. The miko found that she could then massage both of his ears at the same time, and neither Kagome nor Inuyasha could recall ever having been more content than they both were in that moment.

...

At some point in time they both must have fallen asleep, because suddenly Inuyasha opened his eyes to discover himself looking up at Kagome's sleeping face. Her head was tilted back every so slightly, resting against the trunk of the sacred tree, while both of her hands were still warmly cupping his sensitive ears. He didn't want to disturb her, didn't want to lose the moment, so…he just lied there, recalling the first time he'd been in this potion, weakened by his human night. He had admitted something he normally wouldn't have that first new moon with the miko. The memory brought a smile to his face. Suddenly, the fresher memory of their recent kiss brought a round of blush to go along with that smile, and it was in that moment that Kagome, suddenly sensing his eyes upon her, slowly opened her own. Tilting her head forward, the fifteen-year-old looked down to see his sparklingly pure and golden yellow eyes gazing back up at her, seeing her fully.

"Kagome…"

He uttered her name so softly that she might not have registered it without the aid of reading his lips at the same time. She smiled down at him then, and began to resume moving her hands across his ears in a soothing motion. His gentle chuckle pulled her from her dreaminess, as she quietly asked, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing's funny, I was just remembering something…"

"What?" she asked softly.

"Hey Kagome…." Inuyasha spoke in a manner that she immediately recognized, and knew that he was reenacting a certain, _previous_ conversation. "You smell kinda nice." he added, tilting his head up to look up at her with a smile plastered across his face.

"You always told me you hated my smell." she said, playing along.

"I did," he said on cue, "but I was lying."

Widening his smile, Inuyasha revealed his fangs, but the sight didn't scare her as she smiled back, happy to see that he was so happy. He rarely was, it seemed.

After staring back and forth in each other's eyes for moment longer, Inuyasha reluctantly sat himself up, immediately missing the contact of her delicate ministrations upon his sensitive ears. Reaching up to rub one of his own ears, he smirked before commenting, "I'll have to let you do that more often."

"I wonder how long we were asleep." Kagome pondered lazily as she gazed up at the sun through the branches of the sacred tree, attempting to get a perspective on the time.

"Dunno." was the hanyou's simple reply. Standing up, Inuyasha offered a hand to Kagome to assist her in standing as well. "Guess we should probably head back, though." he added in that moment.

"Inuyasha?" she asked suddenly, hesitantly.

"Yeah?" he inquired while turning in her direction, a smile still upon his lips as he saw her..._really_ saw her.

"I…uh…"

She tried to speak, but couldn't find the words. But somehow, she didn't have to.

"I know…" she suddenly heard him say. Looking up at him, Kagome couldn't help but to notice the unmistakable amount of _love_ he was reflecting back at her in his eyes. "Me too." he whispered, as he leaned forward for another gentle kiss.

It was only a simple peck, but it was still on the lips, and it spoke volumes for them both, saying all the words they couldn't quite bring themselves to say at the moment. He didn't really need Kagome to say the words; he knew what they were. He'd heard her say them once before, anyway, when their first kiss those few months back pulled him from himself when he'd almost lost his human heart forever. It was high time that he returned the kiss, having never been able to get her out of his mind in all that time. He'd be able to say it back to her, one of these days, but in the mean time, he _could _say something else…

"Thank you."

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~ Fin ~

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